White Ale's are Belgian style beers, often refered to as "Wit" beer. Our version of this classic style is a wonderful spicy brew, infused with orange peel and coriander spices. It has a crisp refreshing flavor and a slight 'white' haze from the large percentage of wheat used in the mash.

Reviews by nycwinter:

This was one of my Beer of the Month by mail selections. Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

A= At the top, a cloudy orange transitioning to a yellow tint towards the bottom. Thick fluffy head initially from vigorously swirling the last 2/3rds as recommended. Settled to a consistently thin white head that allowed the sunshine below to glow through.

S= Primarily corriander and pepper with notes of roses. There is a smell reminiscent of a peanuty-Thai dish overall.

T= True to the style. Mildly spicy with wheat and citrus in the aftertaste.

More User Reviews:

This beer has a nice thin, frothy, white head with a classic wit aroma of tangy citrus. I can't vouch for the color as it was served in a translucent plastic cup. This is just a very refreshing and balanced wit with great wheat base, just enough tang, and the spices are only hinted at which makes for one easy drinker. Mouthfeel is nice and thin. (347 characters)

Initially it came out crystal clear white and looking like a pure beer. By the time I finished the pour, however, it turned kinda cloudy and I actually saw sediment floating thru the liquid! I hardly ever notice sediment. It seems almost too cloudy to be a "white" ale, but I'm wondering if the muddiness might make this one better...

The smell is a lemony burst--it approaches pungency. Despite its carbonation and fizziness, it's like old lemonade. It smells more like lemon PEEL than lemon--really more like discarded lemons/peels. I'm picturing the morning after an obnoxious Cinco de Mayo party (replace lime with lemon). The smell of this beer definitely has character, and I respect it for that.

The taste is like everything else so far: interesting, but not quite good. In fact, further sipping leads to more associations with the stale lemonade. I want to respect John's Grocery and Iowa City, and I do. I want to like this 50th anniversary production, but I can't. I just don't think it's very good. It's over-carbonated, under-filtered, and totally unpolished. That might be what they were going for. Still, it's too acidic--like it's corroding my teeth. Oddly, however, I continue to drink it. I wonder if it'd be better if I put an orange in it. Without one available, I'll have to conclude that more sugar and citric acid won't offer too much help.

I'm amazed I continue to drink this while I continue to confirm the stale, sour qualities. It's funny because it's still not a bad beer. The feel isn't great but, as with the smell, I respect a beer that's trying to do something. Though I don't really like it, the mouthfeel is a distinct one.

Though I can talk about and give credit for uniqueness in every other category, the bottom line is I wouldn't really ever want to drink this beer again. All this description...and then that;) (1,852 characters)

Presentation: 12 oz brown bottle, on the side is a blurb about the beer being brewed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of John's Grocery INC. No freshness date to be found.

Appearance: Pale beige amber with a yeilding stick lace true to the style.

Smell: The usual suspects ... coriander and citric peel.

Taste: Medium bodied with a mouth feel that is smooth and crisp at the same time. Grain from start to finish though gets more noticable towards the end. Good balance with the spices ... coriander and orange peel are dominant with hints of pepper that come the same time as the fruitiness. Hop character is kept to a minimum.

Notes: As far as White Ales go, this is a great one. Very well balanced ... a brew to be proud of. (740 characters)

My first Iowa beer, thanks to mentor. This Wit pours a hazed, lemonaid colored yellow body with a medium white head that slowly falls into a lasting collar. Patch and sheet lacing merit a four for better than average Witbier appearance.
Aroma is wheaty malty, with lemon citrus and coriander.
Mouthfeel is light medium bodied, with plenty of carbonation.
Taste is pleasant, with bready wheat grain, sticky yeast, lemony citrus, coriander, and white pepper.
A solid American witbier that is very sessionable. Thanks to mentor for the sample. (545 characters)

Cloudy dark gold beer, like 1000 ppm you'd think when looking at the haze. Soft white head on it in the 3/4" range. Mild flowery citrus hibiscus coriander thing going on in the aroma, which is what the style is usually going for, so it has that going for it.

A thickness I did not see coming. Wow, if you prefer your wheat beers on the sludgy side, this is the beer for you. I'll give it credit, this is pretty chewy. It has a mineral flower thing in the mouthfeel that isn't my favorite aspect of the beer. Maybe its a minor presence of the alcohol.

This beer truly has been around for generations. The Amana colonies and John's grocery in Iowa City together for this one homies. One of my first Midwestern beers I had ever tried at the close of the 20th century, an interesting time revisiting the beer tonight. (817 characters)

Appearance: Deep golden heavily clouded hue with an orange golden rod tint to it, very heavy carbonation for the white quickly disipating head leaves some lacing sporadically with each sip. Aroma: Orange peel enters my senses profusely with coriander and other festive spices gives a very creamy citrusy smoothie approach, but very solid all around not hating very nice scent should sell insense that smells like this beauty. Taste: A great mix of sharp unmalted wheat and citrus notes along with ungodly amounts of spices including coriander and orange peel most notably. Big and flavorful heavily spiced in a very good way comes a close second to Great Lakes Holy Moses. Mouthfeel: High carbonation causes burping in the first few sips, creamy texture also comes through with each sip. Drinkability: I can't really complain one of the better American brewed flavorful witbiers, god bless. Oh and thanks BuckeyeNation for the sample. (934 characters)

Presentation: Beautiful label with a picture of the wonderful John's Grocery of Iowa City and celebrating John's 50th anniversary.

Appearance: Pale beige amber with a nice fat head and swell lacing.

Aroma: Mellow yellow with coriander and citric peel.

Taste: Nice dry mellow beer. Easy on carbonation for good smoothness. Light spiceness that lingers on the tongue. Nice.

Compares with Amadeus or Hoegaarden. That's the league it's in. A soccer analogy is that this beer competes in the Spanish league very well for a place in the European Champions League! Well balanced with the spices ... coriander and orange peel with hints of lemon.

Notes: A wonderful white ale that goes excellently with the music of free jazz player Paul Smoker on the Cimp label. (765 characters)

Pours a cloudy deep gold and sports a fluffy head of off-white foam that shows some darker spots (Due to being unfiltered?). Head receded slowly leaving some lace about the glass.

The main thing I pick up in the aroma is a slightly musty vanilla and a hind of citrus rind. Taste also had these traits and was slightly malty with no hint of hops that I could tell. Finish is dry and smooth. Light bodied but mouthfeel belies this somewhat. Carbonation is lively.

Poured into a John's Grocery glass, naturally. (You can take the boy out of Iowa, but you can't take the Iowa out of the boy.) The head disappeared way too quickly, but the color is nice, with a slightly hazy, sunny golden-yellow glow.

Aroma resembles the best tripels, with a spicy, faintly yeasty, flowery sweetness. Citrus elements are here, but ride on the back of the aforementioned aromas.

Flavor-wise I'm again reminded just as much of a tripel as I am a white ale, due to the spiciness and yeasty presence, but certainly the citrusy aspect of the best white ales comes through. Light dessert-y spices, bitterness from the hops and a robust mustard-seed heartiness mingle and dominate. There's also a woodiness to the finish, and a nice aftertaste spreads throughout the mouth, keeping the flowery and sweet spices around a good while. Mouthfeel is nice and creamy but cut short by a quick-drying in the finish. That's not a criticism, just an observation, and I like this element of the beer best.

Really good white ale, different and confidently doing its own thing while not straying too far outside the style's parameters. Easily the best of the three Millstream beers I've had. (1,198 characters)

Opaque milky yellow under a milky froth or solid duration and cling.
Nose is full of the archtypal Witbier aromas, coriander-and-Saaz-provided lemon grass, orange zest, wheat. Summer hay. Gentle breezes. Moderate humidity. Starry nights.
Begins with a cracker dryness. Snap of Pils malts, then it settles into a cushier wheat base. A mild, flaked sweetness creeps in. Spices follow. Leafy cilantro, lemon, lime, and orange rinds. Ends with a congruent Saaz lemon-herb clap.
Light bodied, but firm, and well-defined. This is a sleek and muscular beer. And drinkable in vats.
This one does everything exactly right. One of the best I've had. (646 characters)

A - A monstrous "four finger and then some" head roiled uncontrollably over the lip of my big ass snifter. The beast of a head is snow white and looks rocky and delicate...like eggshells. It slowly, and i mean SLOWLY recedes to about two fingers and stays put. Lots of powdery posts of dusty lace is left on the glass after big sticky gobs of foam slide down the side. The brew itself is a peach apricot hue and very hazy with lots of particulate yeast chunks floating around. Wow...this perfect example of a witbeir looks great! I've got a beer-boner!

S - Mellow lemon-meringue pie...I'm not really sure what chiffon is, but if it's what I think it is, then this smells like lemon chiffon. Mellow cream....like a lemon flavored icing or donut glaze. This is pretty weak though. I'd like a bit more power out of this nice nose.

T - This is reaching the lemon-oriented end of the wit spectrum, although there are some mellow spices there too. Something here reminds me of cinnamon, while other notes remind me of lemon scented candles. This is pretty intricate stuff. A lot is going on here, but like the nose it seems a bit under powered.

M - Light bodied and fluffy...like chiffon or that airy sugary icing found on crepes. The finish is neutral, with a little hint of lemon left after the swallow.

T: Opens watery with subtle hints of lemon and banana. Spiciness builds to a crescendo at the middle. Flowery and powdery as it finishes. Spicy and yeasty right at the end. Aftertaste leaves very little. A bit one dimensional but quenching and enjoyable.

M: Light bodied, crisp, and aggressively carbonated. Watery and lively in the mouth. Coarse and rough all the way down. Finish is accented and aftertaste is relatively clean. Very refreshing.

D: A pretty standard, run of the mill witbier. Nice and refreshing with a simple, crisp flavor. I wouldn't hesitate to have this one again but its nothing out of the ordinary. (1,020 characters)

Medium body, light carbonation, fairly smooth. The orange and coriander flavors show up foremost and are backed up with just a hint of spiciness. The flavors stay the same the entire way through, not bad, just nothing different.

A fine witbier, really helped to cool off on a hot Iowa night. (401 characters)